Intolerance from ‘progressives’ towards Gays waving the wrong flag

by SB on June 28, 2017 at 4:30pm

Jewish Rainbow flag at London Gay Pride

Israel is well known for hosting the popular LGBT pride parade Tel Aviv. Unlike every single one of its Arab neighbours, Israel is a democratic country where Gay people are safe to live their lives in the open. Despite the fact that Israel is the only country in the Middle East where gay people are free to love openly the organisers of Chicago’s LTGB Pride parade told Gay Jews and supporters of Israel that Star of David flags were ‘offensive.’ and that they were not allowed to take part in the march.

“Sadly, our celebration of dyke, queer and trans solidarity was partly overshadowed by our decision to ask three individuals carrying Israeli flags superimposed on rainbow flags to leave the rally. This decision was made after they repeatedly expressed support for Zionism during conversations with Dyke March Collective members.”

“People asked me if I was a Zionist and I said ‘yes, I do care about the state of Israel but I also believe in a two-state solution and an independent Palestine,'” Grauer said. “It’s hard to swallow the idea of inclusion when you are excluding people from that. People are saying ‘You can be gay but not in this way.’ We do not feel welcomed. We do not feel included.”

Ironically considering how they excluded Gays with the wrong opinions and flags the March was described by organisers as being “more inclusive” and ” more social justice-oriented” than the city’s main Pride parade.

One marcher, Laurel Grauer, said she was harassed by other Dyke March attendees before being told she needed to leave with her flag.

“It was a flag from my congregation which celebrates my queer, Jewish identity which I have done for over a decade marching in the Dyke March with the same flag,” she told Windy City Times.

“They were telling me to leave because my flag was a trigger to people that they found offensive,” she added. “Prior to this [march] I had never been harassed or asked to leave and I had always carried the flag with me.”

The organizers of the march told the Times the event was a pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist one and that the flags made people feel unsafe.

The Star of David also features on the Israeli flag, with many believing support for Israel is tantamount to supporting the oppression of the Palestinian people.

Israel’s own backing of LGBT rights has been described as ‘pinkwashing,’ with the authorities there accused of using gay rights to detract from the ongoing conflict with Palestine.

However, the decision to prevent people from displaying their Jewish Pride flags did not go down well with some marchers.

“This is not what this is community is supposed to be about,” marcher Ruthie Steiner told the Times after seeing people thrown out because of their Jewish Pride flags.

“I’m German-born. Am I pinkwashing by being here and supporting my community? Is every nation which does not have a clean civil-rights record and also hosts a Pride parade guilty of pinkwashing? With all the people that so hate the LGBTQ community, for it to tear itself apart in self-hatred makes no sense at all,” she added.

If you agree with me that’s nice, but what I really want to achieve is to make you question the status quo, look between the lines and do your own research. Do not be a passive observer in this game we call life.